Multiple System Configurations in a 32-bit Extreme Environment

Abstract

Full computational systems are needed at extreme environments (to 300°C) to increase functionality and reduce cost in the ever advancing oil/gas, geothermal, aeronautic, and automotive industries. Commercially available electronic components are not available to build a reliable system. A single microcontroller device can be used in systems of varying complexity, from small, mid, large, and multiprocessor scale. The 32-bit microcontroller will use a low power silicon-on-insulator CMOS process to increase long term reliability. Communication ports are provided to allow for simple systems with a single processor to complex multiprocessor systems with multiple controlled devices and external memory. As no adequate non-volatile solution is available for extreme conditions, multiple boot options are available to load instructions from external sources. Fault tolerance should be provided by system error detection. Battery backup must be provided for program and data retention. The resulting microcontroller will allow a wide variety of extreme environment systems, from simple to complex.